The present invention generally relates to manufacturing of loaf, stick, chub or sausage products on a high-volume commercial scale and more particularly to racking equipment that not only shapes food cylinders into a desired cross-sectional configuration, but also simultaneously texturizes the surface of the food product in order to impart same with surface irregularities that provide product slices which emulate the appearance and texture of naturally occurring food product slices. The racking arrangement includes elongated top and bottom plate pairs which move with respect to each other between a selected initial height for receiving a food cylinder and a chosen compression height at which the food cylinder is imparted with the desired shape and surface texture.
The making of large elongated loaves or sticks of meat or other food products into a form that is suitable for slicing on an industrial or commercial scale has long been practiced. In this regard, a meat emulsion or grind is typically stuffed within a casing or other compartment to hold same together during cooking, smoking and/or packaging operations. In the usual situation, the finished product has an appearance which is characteristic of a luncheon meat. Such an appearance limits the salability of the food product. Even when sliced, it has the characteristic lunchmeat appearance, shape and outside texture.
In accordance with the present invention, these loaf-types of product are formed which have less of the appearance of luncheon meat and more of the appearance of a slice from a whole muscle portion of an animal carcass. Instrumental in this regard is a racking apparatus that simultaneously shapes an initially cylindrical loaf into a loaf having an irregularly shaped cross-section while at the same time forming a texturized surface of the formed loaf. The apparatus includes a frame assembly having one or more elongated compartments containing an elongated bottom plate and an elongated top plate. Relative plate movement effects a compression of a food loaf positioned therebetween. At least one of these elongated plates has a plurality of indents that define an inside surface which takes on a general lattice surface configuration. The lattice surface configuration clamps down onto the meat surface during relative closing movement of the elongated plates, with the result that projecting portions of the elongated plate enter the surface of the meat, while recessed and/or open portions of the latticed surface accommodate the meat as it is compressed by operation of the rack apparatus. This imparts surface texture and irregular shaping. The surface texture and irregular shape are permanently molded into the loaf product when the rack apparatus is moved into cooking and/or smoking rooms or environments.
It is a general object of the present invention to provide improved racking of loaves, sticks or large chubs of meat and the like.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved racking apparatus for forming cylinders of meat and the like into food loaves having a shape which, when sliced substantially transversely emulates natural-looking food product slices.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved food loaf shaping and texturizing rack which subjects an initially cylindrical loaf to compression conditions in order to impart both an irregular cross-sectional shape and a surface texture to the loaf.
Another object of this invention is to provide improved racking that accomplishes large-scale food production from readily available food sources rather than requiring whole muscle sources.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be clearly understood through a consideration of the following detailed description.